Emil

"I don't think they're malicious, but I rather not bring someone uninvolved into the Canticle. Let's confront them now."

Anna agreed. Emil raised three fingers.

On the count of three, they both spun around. A figure wearing a cloak was trailing them from a few meters away. Startled by the sudden confrontation, they tried to make a run for it. Emil stomped the ground. The floor beneath the intruder caved, causing them to fall face first onto the ground.

"Don't move!" Anna warned, shooting a blast of lightning close to the interloper's body. Slowly, the figure raised their hands to surrender.

As a precaution, Emil covered his body in a layer of stone before approaching the interloper. Carefully, he lifted up the person's hood. To his surprise, a familiar pair of jade eyes stared back at him with a sheepish smile.

***

"What the hell are you doing here...?" Anna asked, visibly disappointed. The interloper who was stalking them turned to be none other than Aoife.

The princess looked away with an embarrassed glint in her eyes. "Ummm, you know…just taking a stroll! And uh, getting some fresh air!"

"By yourself? Alone? At night?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm an Exalted now, so it shouldn't be a problem! I can defend myself!" Aoife said, flexing her arms as if to demonstrate her newfound strength.

Emil sighed. He wanted to reprimand her, but he already knew that Aoife had a history of sneaking off by herself. When they first met each other before the Academy, she was still an Ordinary, wandering the slums of Lower Dannan alone. Whether it was naivety, bravery, or sheer recklessness, there was no reason to think that her wanderlust would stop now especially after receiving her Gift.

Anna shot him a frustrated glance as though she didn't know how to deal with this situation. He didn't blame her. Although they were friends and classmates, Aoife was still a princess of the kingdom. It probably felt weird for Anna to be criticizing her.

"Aoife, where's Kai?" he asked.

"Asleep. Or fooling around with Charlotte," she blurted out casually. Emil almost winced.

"So your knight doesn't know you're out here alone."

"I absolve him of all responsibility! Because I snuck out without his knowledge!"

He raised a hand and gave Aoife's forehead a flick.

"Ow! Y-You! This is treason against the royal family!"

"Oh stop, I've hit you much harder during training."

"That's because I allowed it! I don't allow this!"

Anna had a horrified look as she spectated the exchange. Emil fought the urge to smile. Aoife usually wasn't nearly as childish when they were together with everyone else. While still carefree, she usually conducted herself with an air of dignity.

I guess she finally feels comfortable enough in front of Anna to show how she really is.

"You deserved that for making everyone's lives harder with your recklessness," Emil reprimanded, "Kai's the one who's going to be punished if something happens to you."

"You're the something that's happening to me right now!" Aoife complained, still holding onto her forehead. Emil knew she was pretending to be hurt. With her new Exalted constitution, there was no way a slight flick would still sting.

"Says the one that was following me and Anna like a criminal. Just what were you doing exactly?"

That silenced her complaints. Aoife looked away again as though trying to avoid the subject. Emil continued to apply pressure by holding his stare. When that didn't work, he raised his hands together, threatening another flick to the head.

"Okay, okay! I just happened to spot the two of you walking out alone! It's suspicious! Can you blame me for being curious?" she vented, "Honestly, ever since Kai and Charlotte got together, this entire friend group has just been lovesick! It's suffocating! I feel like I'm fifth wheeling every time we hang out! Emil, I request that you find another addition to this group so I don't have to feel so left out!"

"You prefer a guy or a girl?"

"I don't care! Either way one works! If it's girl, please make sure she's nice and pleasant to be around. If it's a guy, he better be a gentleman and well read."

"Hold on! Don't you dare lump me with Kai and Charlotte! Emil and I are not dating!" Anna suddenly interjected.

Aoife's mouth immediately curved into the widest grin that Emil had ever seen. Her eyes flashed with a conspiratorial glint as she seized the opportunity. Anna, I can't believe you just fell for her trap. He facepalmed. Aoife finally got the chance to divert the conversation away from her sneaking out.

"Oh please! You two are joined at the hip! Everyone in the Academy could see the chemistry just oozing!"

"W-What?!"

***

Emil let the nonsensical exchange between the girls go on for another minute before finally intervening. Anna's face was red with embarrassment at this point. After calming her down enough, he made a suggestion to Aoife.

"We're actually here to help exterminate monsters in the Canticle. You heard about what happened earlier today in the Commerce District right?"

The mischievous glint in Aoife's eyes immediately became serious at the mention of the monster outbreak. Her face hardened and the conspiratorial smile on her face vanished.

"Yeah. Kai, Charlotte, and I were on the other side of the district. The Lionhearts didn't want me near when I tried to go and investigate. So you two were in the thick of it?"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"It was a bit of a scare, but we managed. Anyways, this is part of a broader investigation to make sure that the Aurous Festival can run safely tomorrow. Since you're already here, want to join us? We'll treat this as a practical training session for you," he suggested.

"E-Emil?!" Anna blurted out, apparently shocked that he would dare to ask the princess of the kingdom for help. Frankly, Emil also thought he was overstepping a bit. But if the alternative was to leave Aoife to wander the night of Isarelle alone, then he'd rather have her close by instead. Even if it meant potentially letting her encounter monsters within the Canticle.

"Sorry, Anna, but I'll be coming along! You've already had him to yourself for the entire day today!"

"That's not the problem!"

Emil quickly led them into the Canticle before another frivolous exchange take place. Aoife's bright presence had suddenly turned this serious expedition into a looser affair. She was letting her mask drop more often these days, showing off what she was really like behind the veneer of a princess. Emil grinned as Aoife continued to tease Anna. He didn't know the circumstances behind Aoife's legitimacy into the royal family, but he always thought she looked lonely. Her insistence that he'll treat her as a friend rather than the princess was also a telltale sign.

She's finally opening up more. Even if it's at the cost of Anna's pride.

The sound of water gushing in the background grew stronger once they arrived at the ground level of the Canticle. The familiar stank of sewage assaulted his nostrils. Emil pinched his nose and scanned the vicinity. Light from the tiny Azurite stones illuminated the area. Despite their presence, the ambient mana was abnormally thick. The soothing sensation of the ethereal energy pressed down on their bodies like the chilly air of a frigid winter day.

"Aoife, can you see anything?" he asked, curious.

The princess narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds, she announced, "Yes, there are faint mana tendrils lingering in the air. They're coming from further down."

Her Mana Perception might be stronger with mine.

"Then we'll use those traces to guide us. It's very possible that there's an unaccounted pile of Azurite somewhere here. The closer we get to it, the denser the ambient mana should become. And the odds that we'll encounter monsters will also rise."

Aoife beamed at the mention of a monster encounter. She nodded with a childlike excitement.

"Are you sure you won't be scared, Aoife?" Anna asked, trying to tease her back for all the humiliation earlier.

"I don't think anything here can compare to what I experienced during my kidnapping," Aoife said unexpectedly, "My Awakening didn't happen without a reason, you know?"

The conversation came to an abrupt end. The air was suddenly heavy as though the princess's words put a chokehold on the surroundings. Anna looked horrified. Emil winced. Aoife had never talked about her time being kidnapped by Vigil aside from the few details she provided to Rohan. It was treated as classified information. Nor did anyone in the Academy dared to ask her. If the ordeal had been a trigger for her Awakening, then it could have only been unpleasant.

Without warning, Aoife spun around with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Sorry, that was unfair of me, wasn't it? I didn't mean to kill the mood."

Despite her words, they continued the next few minutes of their trek in silence. While it wasn't the way he had planned, Emil was grateful that Aoife was focused. They were deep into the Canticle now. The water in the background raged with more fervor as the ambient mana continued to climb. The dim cloudy blue glow was beginning to blend with the Azurite lights, creating a hazy veil that impeded vision.

It might be time to use Blaze.

Just as he considered the thought, he felt a rush of air above.

"Watch out!" he yelled.

Bulwark triggered on instinct, erecting two protective walls in front of Aoife and Anna while Emil jumped back. Shadow loomed from the ceiling. The presence descended and crashed into the stone walls with a loud wallop. Anna materialized her lightning force field to deflect the oncoming shrapnel. The presence stirred at the crackle of electricity before letting out an ear-splitting shriek.

Emil grimaced at the shrill noise. He plugged his ears and activated Blaze. Flames sprouted from his back, illuminating the hazily surroundings and exposing the appearance of the interloper.

It was a monstrous bat.

The creature's body was five feet in length, but its size was elongated by its massive wingspan. Sharp claws glinted from Emil's flames near the wings and on the bat's talons. Its mouth was opened wide, revealing its menacing vampiric fangs.

Anna wasted no time and shot a bolt of lightning at the monster. Emil followed up by unleashing Blaze. The joint attack sent the monster reeling in pain. Realizing that it was horribly outmatched, it began to ascend to make its escape.

"Tan lei elohot," Aoife intoned.

The somber words radiated authority. Mana swelled from her vessel, and her body was suddenly bathed in a divine light. A suit of armor cladded her body, a sword manifested in her hands, and a pair of angelic wings sprouted from her back. With a jump, she propelled herself skyward and swung her blade.

Squelch!

The bat's wings were cleaved off without resistance. The monster squealed as it fell to the ground. Aoife pursued, plunging her sword into the monster's head with a downward strike.

"Holy shit," Anna muttered in awe. It was likely her first time seeing Aoife make full use of her Gift. Valkyrie granted her the prowess of a divine being—or at least her own ideals of it. Shapeshifters and Transformation Gifts were uniquely based on the Exalted's visualization and interpretations of the being that they turned into.

"How did I do?" Aoife asked with an expectant glow as she withdrew her sword and undid her transformation.

"The timing of your first swing was a bit off. If you synced it better with your jump, you could have delivered more power."

"Hmph, always something to nitpick." She puffed out her cheeks childishly.

Emil smirked before activating Blaze to incinerate the monster's body. Leaving such a large creature to rot here risked clogging up the Canticle's smaller passageways. A monster infestation beneath the city was troublesome enough—he'd rather not cause the Canticle to malfunction as well. Blaze's flames swallowed up the beast. Fat and oil from the corpse sizzled from the heat, filling the vicinity with a pungent stench.

It was oddly quiet. Realizing that the ladies behind were suddenly silent, Emil turned around, wondering if something was amiss. Anna and Aoife were both staring at him with a bewildered look on their face. He narrowed his eyes, confused by their gaze.

"Emil," Aoife suddenly said. Her voice was serious and radiated authority, betraying none of the childishness she displayed just a second earlier. She tilted her head towards Anna. "How much does she know?"

The question only raised his confusion. Emil thought for a moment until he noticed Anna looking hesitantly at his flames. It then finally clicked in his head.

"She knows I have two Gifts," he replied, choosing his words intentionally as to not hint at more secrets.

This was the first time he used Blaze so casually in front of multiple people. Both Anna and Aoife knew about his unique nature, but they've deliberately kept their knowledge to themselves to protect his secret. Seeing him reveal Blaze so brazenly to the other party must have stunned them into disbelief.

"I see," Aoife said before turning towards Anna. The mask of a regal princess fell off again as she put on a mischievous grin. "Wow, Anna! Looks like Emil really trusts you! And here I thought I was the only one who knew his deepest, darkest secret!"

Anna let out a gasp of relief as though she had been holding her breath. The tension in the air immediately dissipated.

"Goddammit Emil, you could have told us in advance. I nearly lost my mind when you used your flames in the fight."

"Sorry, I forgot."

"When did she find out?" Aoife asked.

"Long story," he replied, severing his connection with the flames devouring the monster corpse, "But it was a few weeks before the Clash of Dawn."

Aoife gasped. "You knew before me?!" Inexplicably, she tossed her arms around Anna and pulled her into a tight hug. "How dare you! This is unacceptable!"

Anna tried to push back against her hold, but Aoife was insistent. "That's enough!" she finally yelled, enveloping her body in a faint electric shock to break free of Aoife's grasp. The princess was forced to let go. She stared at her trembling hands for a moment before flashing a triumphant smile.

"Hehe, I finally got you to snap at me," she said, visibly pleased, "I was getting tired with how strung up you were with me. Now our friendship can finally progress!"

That's certainly one way to break down someone's barriers.

Emil shook his head. It was true that Anna often put Aoife on a pedestal. She was the princess of this kingdom after all—it would be hard for her to act casual and treat her like a regular friend. In her unique way, Aoife had been trying to get her to loosen up.

"Just what the hell are you talking about, you masochistic princess?!" Anna hissed back, flabbergasted.

Although you probably overdid it.

Before Emil could step in to placate Anna, the ground of the Canticle suddenly stirred. Emil paused to listen. Over the gushing waters, he could hear sounds of combat in the distance.

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